James Harker on SoundBetter

I take your acoustic guitar-and-vocal demo and build it into the lush & textured record it's meant to be — without losing the vulnerability that made you write the song in the first place. My lane is indie and alt singer-songwriter work in the space of Phoebe Bridgers or Lizzy McAlpine (intimate vocals, texture) as well as indie rock.

I'm James — a producer and mix engineer who's spent the last decade helping indie and alt artists get their songs to sound like they feel in your head. My sweet spot is that space between rock and pop where the production serves the song instead of showing off — the intimacy of Lizzy McApline for Phoebe Bridgers, the warmth of 70s singer-songwriter recordings, and, on the more rock-adjacent side of things, the texture of indie bands like Hippo Campus or Whitney.

I've produced 50+ indie records, and toured in bands sharing stages with Lizzo, Crowded House, and Ra Ra Riot. Based in Columbus, OH — but these days, most of my work happens remotely with artists anywhere.

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

Languages

English

Endorse James Harker5 Reviews

by Zach Haselow
James and I have been working together for a couple years now and I couldn't recommend a producer more! Killer intuition and taste when it comes to sound selection and composition, highly capable multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, amazing technical ear for mixing and engineering and an all-around great dude to work with. If you're an indie/pop artist look no further!
by Talitha Boyd
I got the opportunity to work with James on 4 out of the 5 songs on my upcoming EP and I have learned so much and had so much fun. James is knowledgable about recording, mixing, and mastering but is also able to draw out my own creativity and vision for the song. My favorite part of working with James is it feels like a partnership. We both feel comfortable sharing ideas for the song, trying them out, and being honest of it feels like its not working. As a solo artist, his ability to play multiple instruments has been an amazing edition to his services and has added so much to my recordings.
by Hannah Renee'
James has produced four of my songs so far and I couldn't be more satisfied with his work. He explains each step in the process, offers a variety of examples and ideas, and protects my creative vision while the full song is being fleshed out. He is extremely talented, knowledgable, and experienced which makes him the perfect choice to bring your music to life.
by Matthew Morgan
Working with James has been amazing! He has a uniquely creative vision and comes up with ideas that really bring my acoustic demos to life. I can’t wait to hear what he comes up with next!
by Austin Harsh - Ramblewood
Do yourself a favor and ask James to work on your next record.

He is a HUGE part of taking my demo’s up to the next level in the studio. Excellent collaborator and is not afraid to experiment and find new ideas.

Waiting Room by Talitha Boyd

I was the Producer, Instrumentalist, Mix Engineer in this production

Full instrumental productionContact for pricing
Mixing EngineerAverage price - $300 per song
Vocal TuningAverage price - $50 per track
Electric GuitarAverage price - $70 per song
Acoustic GuitarAverage price - $70 per song
Keyboards - SynthAverage price - $70 per song

Mixing $300+/song, Production $600+/song. 50% deposit, 2–3 revisions included. Full terms: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DeZ-4aDJxZp_v7JO-17gv3JxPvppET_5sBomiuvNh9Y/edit?usp=sharing